ABS Data · SA Economy

South Australia
Economy

Wages, jobs, earnings, and cost of living in South Australia. Real ABS data — no spin.

1,166,599
Population (Census)
$766
Median Weekly Income
4.0%
Unemployment Rate
$320
Median Weekly Rent
Source: ABS Census 2021, WPI (6345.0), Labour Force (6202.0), AWE (6302.0)
Overview

South Australia economy at a glance

The average full-time worker in SA earns $2,010/week (below the national average of $2,129/week). The unemployment rate sits at 4.0% (below the national 4.3%). Wages grew +3.5% over the past year (nationally +3.4%).

The median weekly rent across SA suburbs is $320, which is 41.8% of median weekly income — above the 30% affordability benchmark.

Wage Price Index

Wage growth in SA

WPI tracks how fast wages are growing. SA vs national. Hover for detail.

159.6
Latest WPI Index
+3.5%
SA WPI YoY
+3.4%
National WPI YoY
SA WPI
National (dashed)
Job Market

Employment in SA

Unemployment rate and labour force participation for South Australia.

4.0%
Unemployment Rate
4.3%
National Unemployment
64.7%
Participation Rate
SA Unemployment
National (dashed)
Average Weekly Earnings

What SA earns

Full-time adult average weekly earnings by industry. ABS Cat. 6302.0.

$2,010
Weekly (SA)
$104,499
Annual (SA)
$2,129
National Weekly
Cost of Living

Rent & income in SA

Median rent and income from ABS Census 2021 suburb data across South Australia.

$320
Median Weekly Rent
$766
Median Weekly Income
$39,832
Median Annual Income
41.8%
Rent as % of Income
Above 30% benchmark
Top Suburbs

Largest suburbs in SA

Highest-population SA2 areas in South Australia from ABS Census 2021.

Explore

Other state economies

Compare economic data across Australia's states and territories.

Data Sources
ABS Wage Price Index (6345.0)
Quarterly WPI by state. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.
ABS WPI →
ABS Labour Force (6202.0)
Monthly unemployment rate and participation by state.
ABS Labour →
ABS Average Weekly Earnings (6302.0)
Half-yearly earnings by state, industry, and sex.
ABS AWE →
ABS Census of Population and Housing (2021)
Suburb-level population, income, and rent data from Census 2021.
ABS Census →